NEWSJennifer Lawrence Reveals Hilarious Ambien Mix-Up on 'Hunger Games' Set: 'I Was Hallucinating!'
Jennifer Lawrence hilariously recalled accidentally taking Ambien on the 'Hunger Games' set.
Jan. 1 2026, Published 7:00 p.m. ET
Jennifer Lawrence isn’t afraid to share her real-life blunders, and her latest revelation about accidentally taking Ambien on the set of The Hunger Games proves just how relatable she truly is.
During a candid conversation with Leonardo DiCaprio on the December 17 episode of Variety and CNN's Actors on Actors, the Oscar-winning actress discussed the unexpected effects of her morning mix-up.
“I also once took an Ambien in the morning, thinking it was something else,” the 35-year-old admitted.
Jennifer Lawrence revealed she accidentally took Ambien while filming 'The Hunger Games.'
Lawrence recalled the infamous incident happening during a dance scene with the late Philip Seymour Hoffman while filming Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
“I was hallucinating,” she confessed.
As she struggled to remember her lines during shooting, Lawrence described her lack of “memorizational” skills while under the influence of the drug.
“Elizabeth Banks got really annoyed with me because maybe she didn’t know I was on an Ambien,” Lawrence explained. “But I kept asking the director, ‘And wait, what does this mean? Wait, and what does this mean? What does that mean?’ She just threw her sides and was like, ‘Fine, let’s just keep talking about it.’”
The actress said the mix-up caused her to hallucinate during a scene.
The pair laughed at the amusing memory, with DiCaprio joking about the "key screwups" in her career. Lawrence didn’t stop at the Ambien incident; she also shared another mishap from her movie Red Sparrow.
“When I was doing Red Sparrow, I took an Adderall instead of a sleeping pill, and then I didn’t sleep all night,” she recalled. “I am not somebody who can function without sleep.”
- Hard At Work! Jennifer Lawrence Arrives On The Set Of The Upcoming Drama 'Red White and Water' In New Orleans — Photos
- Dressed-Down Jennifer Lawrence Is Makeup Free On Sunny Set Of Upcoming Film 'Red, White And Water' — Photos
- Jennifer Lawrence Confronted Anderson Cooper For Claiming She Staged Oscars Fall
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
Jennifer Lawrence struggled to remember her lines and confused her costars.
The Don’t Look Up star recounted the chaos of taking “hot showers” and “panicking” after consuming the stimulant, just moments before she had to say “Senate Armed Services Committee” in a Russian accent.
“That sucked,” she added.
Despite her amusing misadventures during filming, Lawrence’s portrayal of Katniss Everdeen continued to captivate audiences in two subsequent films, Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and Part 2, released in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
Earlier this year, Lawrence revealed her willingness to reprise her iconic role when “the right project” comes along. “Oh, my God – totally! If Katniss ever could come back into my life, 100 percent,” Lawrence said about the possibility of returning to her roots.
Jennifer Lawrence also shared another medication mishap from a different film.
And this year, those dreams came true as reports surfaced on December 10, indicating that both she and her costar Josh Hutcherson, known for his role as Peeta Mellark, would return for the upcoming film, Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.
While specific details remain under wraps, the upcoming film is set as a flash-forward epilogue based on Suzanne Collins’ second prequel novel that focuses on Woody Harrelson’s character, Haymitch Abernathy.
